Choir star Gareth Malone knew Argies would beat England when he noticed them singing anthem

He never meant to be known as the ‘Nation’s Choirmaster.’ But for BBC star Gareth Malone – who shot to fame on reality series The Choir – it’s opened up a world of opportunity.

Here Gareth talks about life on the road, devoted fans and his TV acting debut ahead of his latest UK tour.

If there’s anyone who knows about the power of song, it’s Gareth Malone. The musician had his doubts about England’s World Cup chances from the moment he saw Argentina belting out their national anthem. “I felt like you could tell the Argentinians were going to win from the way that they sang,” he says.

“They were just like, ‘this means everything.’ There was just a sense of rawness about the way that they sang – no-one cares about the quality, but I really was impressed by the passion of it. And our lot are always so English and sheepish about it.”

The TV star’s view is backed up by a 2018 study from Staffordshire University, which saw researchers analyse all 51 games at UEFA Euro 2016. They concluded that sides who put some welly into singing their anthems conceded fewer goals and did better in the tournament full stop.

So, should the Three Lions be getting singing lessons? Maybe. But the crowd can make a difference as well, as Gareth points out.

“I was at Wimbledon last week for the Arthur Fery match – the one that he won [against Flavio Cobolli],” he says. “And it was awesome, you could feel the crowd’s energy and see him getting pumped up.

“So I think when you add music into that, you add something emotive and significant, it must have an effect.”

And for a performer like Gareth, singing is all about togetherness. He fell into his role as Britain’s top choir leader almost by accident, when he was working for the London Symphony Orchestra in the early noughties.

Back then, the 50-year-old had “never, ever called himself a choirmaster.” The title came from a 2006 press release for his first TV series, The Choir.

“It said ‘choirmaster from the London Symphony Orchestra’, which made me sound like I was the conductor,” he says. “Like I was incredibly high-faluting.

“Actually I was someone who’d been in bands and wrote music, wrote songs, and yes, I’d studied classical singing. Probably about 10 per cent of the work I was doing was with choir – and obviously that swung really fast.

“It’s been great, no shade at all. But it’s strange when I get people stopping me in the street, making assumptions that must be what I’m doing every weekend.”

It’s not that Gareth minds sharing the limelight with his groups. He’s performed with everyone, from the moody teens of The Choir: Boys Don’t Sing (2008) to the wives of Afghanistan veterans in The Choir: Military Wives (2011).

In fact, he never saw himself becoming the star of his own show. “Maybe when I was like, 16 and in a band, I thought I was going to be Chris Martin or something. Although he didn’t exist at that point,” he says.

“I was in a range of bands and you could always spot people that were in it because they wanted to be like Axel Rose from Guns N’ Roses, and the people who were actually into the music.”

But that doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy a bit of rock n’ roll style admiration. He’s got some “enthusiastic supporters,” he admits, which he describes as “very gratifying for the ego.”

And concert tours like Sing-A-Long-A-Gareth: At The Movies, which kicks off in October, give him the chance to interact with them in person. The shows feature screens with karaoke-style lyrics, so everyone can join in the fun.

His upcoming outing will focus on songs from the silver screen, like Singin’ in the Rain, “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and “Stayin’ Alive” from Saturday Night Fever.

“Not every single person sings, but pretty much everyone does,” he explains. “Even if they think they’re not going to, they normally do by the end.

“It’s absolutely joyful. Everyone’s standing up, waving their arms, dancing around, you know, it’s got a real party atmosphere. It works best on a Friday night, I have to say, but then I suppose most shows do.”

When he’s not touring the country, or looking after his three children with wife Becky, Gareth also has a few more tricks up his sleeve. Like a drama degree, from the University of East Anglia in Norwich.

“I’m doing some acting,” he says. “I have nothing to announce, but I’ve just done a little role on a TV thing. It’s my first post-television acting, I guess, so that’s really fun.”

And whether he wanted to be the ‘Nation’s Choirmaster’ or not, it seems to have worked out well for the star. “I’m just really enjoying where I’m at,” he adds.

• Gareth Malone’s Sing-A-Long-A-Gareth: At The Movies UK tour runs throughout October/November, tickets are on-sale now at myticket.co.uk